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 Featured Snack in Shantou | |
| Alternative names | limulus cake |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Chaoyang District |
| Region or state | Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China. |
| Main ingredients | Flour and sweet potato flour, seafood |
Hao kuih (Chinese: 鱟粿) is a traditional snack originating from Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Characterized by its distinctive shape and savory flavor, it is primarily associated withChaoshan cuisine.
The dish is believed to have first appeared inChaoyang District in Shantou, and remains a regional specialty. While popular within the Chaoshan community, it is relatively uncommon outside this cultural region.
Hao kuih is notable for its unique preparation and ingredients, which typically include rice flour, savory fillings, and occasionallyhorseshoe crab eggs (from which its name derives, as "鱟" refers to the horseshoe crab). It is often steamed or fried, resulting in a soft yet textured consistency.
Improving their quality of life, not only for themselves but for the entire community, is central to the Chaoshan culture[1]. This clan culture is closely interwoven with the long-held Chaoshan traditions of god worship. InChaonan District in Shantou, many counties hold festivals for the gods. One such festival is observed as a day of homage to the deities and is a day of great importance to the Shantou people. On the day of the festival, villagers prepare a large feast and hold a ceremony for the gods as a way of thanking them for their blessings[2] . After the ceremony, the villagers share the feast with their friends and families. In this way the festival serves as not only a way to honor the gods, but also a time to bond with family and friends[3].
One of the dishes prepared for these festivals for the gods is a snack the Chaoshan people callkuih (粿). Typically made using rice flour, sweet potato flour, and other ingredients, kuih is similar to what other cultures might call cake[4]. Kuih plays a role in many traditional Chaoshan activities of worship and is frequently used as an offering to the gods in exchange for their blessings.
Though the basic ingredients are similar, not all kuih is the same. Kuih can be savory or sweet, and is created in a size, shape, or color that carries symbolic meaning for the celebration at hand[5].
It was recorded byDuan Gonglu in theTang dynasty that people at that time started eatinglimulus eggs. “子如麻子，堪为酱，即鲎子酱也.”[9] Another scholar proved it in another historical book with the description that “腹中有子如绿豆，南人取之，碎其肉脚，和以为酱”,[9] which means that people used limulus's olive-colored eggs to make sauce. Both of them gave evidence that limulus sauce has been for a long history.
Hao (Teochew dialect pronunciation) islimulus. Limulus is an ancient animal which has existed for a history and is called the “living fossil”. Therefore, the preservation of limulus is to protect species diversity. So far, Limulus in Chaoshan area has been under the protection since it was listed as the second category in endangered species.[citation needed]
| Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthropoda | Chelicerata | Xiphosura | Limulidae | Tachypleus |
In old days, Chaoshan people caught limulus and cooked them to make sauce, which is likecaviar in western countries. Limulus sauce also has special medical function for digestion. However, limulus is also poisonous. After knowing its fatal poison and its decreasing number, people begin to stop killing limulus.[10]
Hao kuih is originally made of limulus sauce and rice flour and with the filling of meat and vegetables. Since people stop killing limulus, they use some seafood like shrimp to replace it. So the hao kuih we eat today is different from the original one. But they pass down the traditional methods. The hao kuih also keep the shape of limulus only without the limulus sauce.[7] People use barbecue sauce to improve its flavor. The Barbecue sauce in Chaoshan area is calledShacha sauce (沙茶酱). As a primary Chinese condiment, Shacha sauce is usually used inFujian,Teochew andTaiwanese cuisine. It is made from many ingredients, including soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, brill fish, dried shrimps. So it has a savory and slightly spicy taste.
Traditionally, people use local potato flour, rice and limulus sauce to make hao kuih.